The invention generally relates to trailers for hauling and launching watercraft. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for automatically connecting a watercraft to a trailer and includes methods for making, assembling and using the inventive system.
The invention improves known watercraft trailers by making it easier to connect a floating watercraft to a trailer no that the watercraft can be removed from the water quickly and efficiently. Trailers tacking the system of the invention are difficult to align with a watercraft because the features of the trailer that contact and support the watercraft are difficult to see since they are often submerged and may be underneath the watercraft during loading. Thus, using a trailer to remove a watercraft from a body of water often requires the cooperation of at least two people wherein one person operates the watercraft under the guidance of a second person who then secures the watercraft to the trailer after the watercraft and trailer are aligned. The need for two people to secure a watercraft to a trailer can therefore discourage a single person from launching and enjoying the use of a watercraft. Moreover, the cooperation of two people is not flawless since it often requires several attempts to get a watercraft and trailer property aligned. and connected to the trailer.
What is needed in the art therefore is a system for simplifying the connecting of a watercraft to a trailer so that one person can launch and remove a watercraft from a body of water quickly and efficiently.